How do you know when you should format and reinstall?

MadMaxData said:

Nope, I don't use NLite, or VLite anymore, but I most certainly did until Vista & 7 came out. Those programs are what got me started on slipstreaming though. Well, actually I started out slipstreaming service packs with the native Windows integration commands first. Now I use the Windows Automated Instalation Kit [WAIK] and change everything in the boot.wim image before mounting it. It's a heck of alot more complicated, but so worth it once you get the hang of it.

Ahhh... I've glanced at that but never found the patience to weed my way through it. With Win7 I'm taking a somewhat different tactic than before. This OS seems a lot more "tangled" (everything needs something else) than XP was so I'm just going to dump the bloatware (Speech recognition, Natural Language, Languages, Media Center, etc.) that I'll never use and integrate better video and audio drivers and run a more or less "Box Stock" version. I'll sort it out and turn things on or off after the install. This might mean a second install down the road, but for now this seems the best way to handle things.

They weren't kidding when they said "Win 7 is different"... It's actually quite the learning curve.

CommonTater said:

I also do things that will bulge everyone's eyes but I consider them the secrets of my "success"...As I said earlier on... "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"... works for me.

Same here, among many other things. It's good to know others here know the advantages of slipstreaming. It's changed almost everything about how I use a PC.

With XP it was the only way to go... pull out all those hundreds of drivers you'll never use and integrat the ones you will. Slipstream the latest service pack and install... I've done that many times. Sometimes to the point where the OS would only work on 1 specific machine... and boy does that bring big improvements!

I'm not so sure this is the case with win7. Or maybe it's just that I don't know enough about it yet... in any event yes, slipstreaming and install reduction have been standards of mine since win2000 SP1. I've done it hundreds of times over the years for some very happy friends and friends of friends...

Of course we'd both be remiss if we didn't acknowledge that over-doing this can backfire on us... I've "nlited" more than one non-functional version of XP in my day.

LOL....Yeah, nothing like borking an installation CD. Made many a coaster in my day. You'll enjoy the WAIK I'm sure. Many new things to try with Windows 7. You seem pretty cool, so I'm going to add you to my friends list. Gotta' crash, I've been here too long.


Max

MadMaxData said:

LOL....Yeah, nothing like borking an installation CD. Made many a coaster in my day. You'll enjoy the WAIK I'm sure. Many new things to try with Windows 7. You seem pretty cool, so I'm going to add you to my friends list. Gotta' crash, I've been here too long.

Ditto...

I'll give WAIK a re-visit once I get through the final setups on my current machines.

CommonTater said:

True enough. I do have a standard kit of software that I put in and pretty much stay with that unless I get into something new or very different. I have an archive of software on my drive called "Best Versions"... In many cases I've found that software tends to improve up to a certain point then it's like the programmers go stupid and mess it all up... Nero is a good example. I still use 5.5, which in my opinion is the most reliable and easiest to use.

heh i was using Winamp 2.91 until this year when i upgraded to 7 and switched to foobar.

I do a fair bit of install/uninstall stuff from time to time... but I'm very careful to install, test, remove only one program at a time. Makes it a lot easier to clean up afterwards.

yeah, i try to do that too, sometimes. when i get that unexplainable urge to try something new.

Uranus said:

yeah, i try to do that too, sometimes. when i get that unexplainable urge to try something new.

That's usually when I turn to Ice Cream or a kind of pie... I generally try not to inflict those urges where revenge us a possibility...